Burroughs gets SK Lite victory at the Speedbowl

Waterford — The road from Mini Stock champion to SK Lite Modified competitor has been filled with potholes and broken glass for Wayne Burroughs.

“We really struggled last year,” Burroughs said. “We've been thrashing on it and thrashing on it. We have definitely paid our dues. We really struggled last year, but we're finally starting to turn things around.”

The ultimate turnaround for Burroughs took place Saturday when he tracked down his first SK Lite Modified victory at the New London-Waterford Speedbowl. Burroughs is a two-time Speedbowl Mini Stock champ who was winless since moving into the SK Lites in 2017.

That changed in a big way Saturday. Burroughs took the lead from Chris Gombos midway through the race and pulled away with a huge lead in the second half of the race.

Burrough's success story was just one of several before the rains came and shortened the program.

Jason Chicolas held off a late charge by Jordan Hadley to win his first Speedbowl Sportsman feature. Charles Canfield used his skill on the outside grove to blur by Ken Cassidy Jr. on a restart with six laps to go to win the 25-lap Mini Stock feature. Jake Trainer led the entire distance on his way to a win in the 50-lap NEMA Lite Jim O'Brien Memorial while Randy Cabral withstood a late charge by Brett Meservey to win the 25-lap Ct. Pro-Four Modified feature.

The rains hit before the final feature, the 40-lap SK Modified race, could get underway.

Canfield used his expertise of the outside groove at Waterford to maintain his Mini Stock hot streak. In the last six races, he has five first place efforts and one second place.

“It's a great thing,” Canfield said. “I just have to thanks all the people who help me. They did an awesome job.''

Chicolas had never won a Sportsman race at the Speedbowl before, but he took the early lead by a wide margin. In the second half of the race, Hadley made a late charge and pulled to Chicolas' bumper with three laps to go.

The rains came in a hurry, however, forcing officials to red-checker the race on lap 27.

“It was awesome, awesome,” Chicolas said.

“I had a real loose car at the end. I don't know if it was the rain, or what. I kept seeing Hadley coming after me, and I just said ‘oh no.' ”

Trainer also celebrated his first-ever Speedbowl when he won the 50lap NEMA Lite Jim O'Brien Memorial.

The first 26 laps were dominated by Trainer. He galloped away from the rest of the field and led by more than a length of a straightaway before the first and only caution came out.

When the race resumed, however, Trainer's car was just as dominant as it was before the caution. All Stoehr could do was settle for second.

“The car ran great all day” Trainer said. “I knew that the 21 car (Avery Stoehr) was fast.

“I thought he was coming and I didn't' know if I could hold him off. But I did and I got the checker."

Cabral set a blistering race in the Ct. Pro 4 feature and no one could catch him. P.J. Peters finished fourth overall, but was a winner in the Pro 4 Lite division.

In the Senior Tour events, Gregg Massini won the Modified race and Bob Seward Sr. captured the Sportsman division race. The New England Antique Racers scheduled 15-lap race was also a victim of the rain.